DZA

1. Collaborative Research: Probing the Directed Assembly of Block Copolymers with Zone AnnealingAlamgir Karim, University of Akron, DMR 1006421 Block copolymers (BCP) are important for next generation nanotechnology. We have discovered that dynamic zone (DZA) annealing of cylinder forming block copolymer films under a sharp temperature gradient, T ≥ 30 oC/mm, orients their structure from horizontal to vertically aligned cylinders. An optimum sweep rate determined by the longest molecular relaxation time of the BCP in conjunction with the sharp T produces the best vertical order (Macromolecules, In Press) ------------------------------------------------------ A potentially high impact discovery recently uncovered by our group shows that the same dynamic zone annealing, but with the BCP film under soft-confinement by an elastic PDMS layer, creates an induced shear field to create single crystal horizontally oriented cylinders over unlimited dimensions. DZA

2. Collaborative Research: Probing the Directed Assembly of Block Copolymers with Zone AnnealingAlamgir Karim, University of Akron, DMR 1006421 Broader Impacts: I) Designed, fabricated, and tested the 1st In-Situ Dynamic Zone Annealing stage for real-time GISAXS at Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), an NSF-NNI (National Nanotechnology Initiative) user facility. In-situ data shows high through-film ordering of block copolymers. II) Jasmine Gao from St. Vincent St. Mary’s (STVM) school did an internship learning how to order block copolymer films on flexible substrates working with graduate student Arzu Hayirlioglu. III) NSF Research Experience for Teacher (RET) program, Mr. Joe DeAngelis spent summer 2012 measuring surface energy of UVO modifying PET substrates for flexible block copolymer electronics, working with graduate student Arvind Modi in our laboratory. I II III II